The present invention relates generally to semi-finished wood simulating products and methods, and more particularly to semi-finished products capable of accepting wood stain, paint or varnish as applied by an end user at an installation site and methods of manufacturing semi-finished wood simulating products.
There is a need to substitute wood simulating products for solid or real wood products to reduce material costs. This need to substitute simulated wood products for real wood is particularly acute for hardwood products. These hardwoods include woods such as lauan mahogany, and other woods of that same family, the bulk of which come from the Philippines and other Pacific and forest locations. Over the last ten years, the availability of such woods has greatly diminished, and the remaining supply has diminished markedly in quality. There are also substantial environmental issues and concerns affecting both the quality and quantity of the real wood supply, in part, because these woods come from xe2x80x9crain forestxe2x80x9d areas which have been xe2x80x9charvestedxe2x80x9d over the years as part of a general land clearing program which did not include replanting, etc.
A traditional method of manufacturing simulated wood products such as paneling, or door-skins for hollow core doors, involves utilizing a non-solid wood substrate such as a wood composite or fiberboard substrate and overlaying this substrate with a paper overlay and then applying a protective coating to the paper overlay. Vinyl overlays may also be used. There are numerous problems inherent in the traditional methods. These problems include the risk of the paper or vinyl overlay product peeling from the substrate. Another problem is that bubbles and blisters sometimes occur in the overlay process. Other problems are that the protective coating is not cleanable with a solvent or capable of being sanded to eliminate surface imperfections and scratches which occur during shipping and handling. Most importantly, the type of wood being simulated and the color of its stain must be determined at the manufacturing facility and is not changeable by the user at the installation site.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a product and method for manufacturing semi-finished wood simulating products which eliminate or obviate the above mentioned problems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a product capable of accepting stain, paint, or varnish as applied by an end user at the installation site.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a product that simulates the visual appearance and tactile qualities of real wood.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a product that is more durable than existing products and can be lightly sanded to eliminate scratches and surface imperfections.
It is another object of the invention to provide a product that can be cleaned with a solvent.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a semi-finished wood simulating product which is simple in construction, effective in use and economical to manufacture.
These objects are achieved by providing a substrate having at least one surface to be finished. A liquid basecoat is applied on the substrate and dried. A wood grain pattern is deposited, in liquid form, on the basecoat. Some of the pattern is transferred from the originally deposited position on the basecoat to a subsequent position. The pattern is then cured. A polymerizable protective coating is applied onto the substrate overlying the basecoat and the pattern. The protective coating seals the substrate and is adapted for accepting a colorant to be applied by an end user. The protective coating is then polymerized. Additionally, if a porous substrate is provided, a sealer is applied prior to the liquid basecoat and is then cured.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and appended claims.
The invention may best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein illustrative embodiments are shown.